Some Montgomery County students may be walking more than two miles to school as officials look to combat the rising cost of fueling buses.
In four years, the system’s diesel costs for its nearly 1,300 school buses have more than doubled to almost $8 million — the projected cost for the next school year. It was an issue cited repeatedly by Superintendent Jerry Weast during spring budget negotiations with the County Council.
At a school board meeting Monday, board members authorized Weast to adjust walking distances, effectively decreasing expensive bus mileage.
“I know this upsets people … we don’t want to lose anything,” Weast said. “But I’ll guarantee you I don’t want to lose the national rankings your students have been getting,” he said, stressing the importance of keeping all possible money in the classrooms.
Weast can now lengthen walks for students beyond the current limits with specific board approval. Currently, high schoolers who live within 2 miles of campus are expected to get to campus on their own. For middle school students the distance drops to 1.5 miles and to 1 mile for elementary school students.
Language to the resolution was altered this past week in order to ensure 21 days of public comment should a mileage change be made.
Also at Monday’s meeting, the board continued moving ahead with a plan to build a state-of-the-art high school soccer field at a local school, but to also allow a semipro soccer league to use the facility.
The plan calls for a $1 million artificial-turf soccer field at Rockville’s brand new Richard Montgomery High School, a project edging closer to reality in the face of parent complaints over the expensive project. The field will be funded in part with money from a professional soccer team that will use the facility almost exclusively during its season.
Many parents have voiced anger with the board for months over keeping contracts hidden from public view and spending taxpayer dollars on a facility that will be used extensively by a private team, but board members seem ready to move forward with the partnership.
“It’s ironic, because one of the things the school system gets bashed
